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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "IT 101-7"
COURSE NAME: "Introductory Italian I"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2026
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Angela Eliseo
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: TTH 10:00 AM 11:15 AM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: This course carries 3 semester hours of credit.
OFFICE HOURS: By appointment, or after class
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is designed to give students basic communicative ability in Italian. By presenting the language in a variety of authentic contexts, the course also seeks to provide an introduction to Italian culture and society. Students work on all four language skills: speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
By presenting the language in a variety of authentic contexts, the course also seeks to provide an introduction to Italian culture and society.  Students work on all four language skills: speaking, listening comprehension, reading and writing.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Upon completing this course, students will possess the ability to:

  • satisfy a very limited number of immediate needs
  • understand and convey some spoken Italian through the knowledge and usage of familiar and memorized structures, on the most common features of daily life that require the interchange of simple and direct information.
  • understand the general meaning of oral announcements and brief texts on familiar subjects with simple morphology and lexicon.

produce one-paragraph  texts with limited formulaic information by using elementary functions.

 

Letter Grades and Numerical Values

A Excellent 94-100

A- 90-93

B+ 87-89

B Good 84-86

B- 80-83

C+ 77-79  

C Satisfactory 74-76

C- 70-73

D+ 67-69

D Poor but Passing 64-68

D- 60-63

F Failing Below 60

INC Incomplete

P Passing (C or higher)

NP Not Passing (C- or lower)

W Withdrawal 

 
TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
Dai1! edizione PremiumS. Bacci, M. Birello, S. Bonafaccia, M. Costa, A. Vilagrasa, C. ZambiasiCDL Edizioni9788419273635  Hard Copy  
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
2 Tests Tests evaluate vocabulary and structures learned together in class, on Moodle, or by self-study.15 %
Oral ProficiencyOral exam 1 (7.5%); Oral exam 2 (7.5%); All everyday in class or on Moodle activities in which speaking is required (5%)20 %
Final ExamThe Final Exam is designed to evaluate the student's knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary covered, their reading and listening comprehension, and the written ability.30 %
Participation and HomeworkStudents are expected to come prepared to class, and participate in all activities (individual, small groups, whole class works etc.). Active participation is crucial, since the learning process requires considerable practice. Participation also includes cooperation among students, and sharing doubts or ideas about homework, class assignments or new topics that were studied. Self-study is crucial to reinforce what learned in class and to be ready to move on on different and new topics. Homework will be assigned at the end of each session, and will be visible on current Moodle Week at the label called "Homework". Make sure your Homework is always submitted before next class. Possible types of Homework: writing or recording on Moodle Forum, answering questions in the Moodle assignment activity, work on specific exercises on paper or online, listening practice, reading, writing sentences or vocabulary lists. The activity completion and the login activity will be tracked by the platform. 15%
Midterm ExamThe Midterm Exam is designed to evaluate the student's knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary covered, their reading and listening comprehension, and the written ability.20%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Students are supposed to come prepared to class and participate in all activities. Active participation is crucial, since the learning process requires considerable practice. Regular attendance is an essential component of class participation. Students are allowed three unjustified absences. The final grade will be lowered for additional absences.

Students seeking an exemption from attendance must submit an online petition to the Academic Dean’s Office. Professors should not receive or see medical documentations from students. 

Non-remote students occasionally joining online will be marked as absent.

Two late entrances count as one absence.

The Midterm and Final Exam can only be made up with approval from the Dean of Academic Affairs  (Please see the John Cabot University Catalogue and Student Handbook).

FLRC

The JCU Foreign Language Resource Center offers tutoring sessions free of charge. The FLRC is located at the Tiber Campus on the first floor. To schedule an appointment with a tutor (or a writing coach for upper-level courses), please use the online booking system.

 
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
SCHEDULE

Week 1 – January 20, 22

Introduction to the Course and Use of Moodle

Unit 0: La bella lingua

First classroom communication. Counting from 0 to 100.

Grammar
Gender of nouns
The Italian alphabet
Pronunciation of soft and hard sounds

Vocabulary and Culture
Numbers from 0 to 100
Classroom objects

Week 2 – January 27, 29

Unit 1: Ciao, piacere!

Introducing yourself by stating age, nationality, and field of study.
Explaining why you study Italian.

Grammar
Formal vs. informal address
Noun gender and number
Present tense (singular) of essere, stare, chiamarsi
Present tense (singular) of regular verbs in -ARE
Definite articles (singular)

Vocabulary and Culture
Interrogatives (dove, perché, quanto, quale)
Nationality adjectives
Greetings
Personal information
Reasons for studying a language
Italian regions

Week 3 – February 3, 5

Unit 1: Ciao, piacere! (continued)

Continued practice with self-introductions and basic communication.

Grammar
Formal vs. informal address
Noun gender and number
Present tense (singular) of essere, stare, chiamarsi
Present tense (singular) of regular verbs in -ARE
Definite articles (singular)

Vocabulary and Culture
Interrogatives
Nationality adjectives
Greetings
Personal information
Reasons for studying a language
Italian regions

Week 4 – February 10, 12     Test 1 – Thursday

Unit 2: Gente di talento

Asking for and providing personal information.
Talking about professions.

Grammar
Present tense of verbs in -ARE
Present tense of verbs in -ERE
Present tense of irregular verbs (essere, avere, fare)
Plural forms of nouns and adjectives
Prepositions a and in
Definite articles (plural)

Vocabulary and Culture
Vocabulary related to personal identity
Professions and workplaces
Working in Italy

Week 5 – February 17, 18

Unit 2: Gente di talento (continued)

Reinforcement and continued practice of Unit 2 topics.

Week 6 – February 24, 26

Unit 3: Un bel quartiere

Locating objects in space.
Describing a city or neighborhood.
Expressing presence, absence, and quantity.

Grammar
Use of c’è / ci sono
Present tense of verbs in -IRE (-ISCO)
Indefinite articles
Selected compound prepositions

Vocabulary and Culture
Indefinites (troppo, molto, tanto, poco)
City vocabulary: neighborhoods, monuments, places, and services

Week 7 – March 3, 5 Midterm Exam – Thursday

General review.

Spring Break – March 9–13

Week 8 – March 17, 19                          Oral Exam 1 – Thursday

Unit 4: Persone importanti

Expressing preferences and tastes.
Agreeing and disagreeing.
Describing people.
Talking about one’s own life.

Grammar
Possessive adjectives
Adjectives of quality
Verb piacere
Direct object pronouns

Vocabulary and Culture
Family
Daily life and interests
Physical description and personality

Week 9 – March 24, 26

Unit 4: Persone importanti (continued)

Continued practice of Unit 4 grammar and vocabulary.

Week 10 – March 31, April 2                             

Episode 5: Abitudini quotidiane

Talking about daily habits.
Asking for and telling the time.

Grammar
Additional irregular verbs (andare, uscire)
Reflexive verbs
Adverbs of frequency

Vocabulary and Culture
Days of the week and parts of the day
Daily activities
Sports and leisure activities

Week 11 - April 7, 9   Test 2 – Thursday 

Episode 5: Abitudini quotidiane (continued)

Reinforcement and practice of habits, time expressions, and related grammar.

 

Week 12 – April 14, 16

Episode 6: Tutti a tavola

Talking about eating habits.
Ordering food at a restaurant.

Grammar
Direct object pronouns
Modal verbs

Vocabulary and Culture
Food and dining culture in Italy

 

Week 13 – April 21, 23                           Oral Exam 2 – Thursday

Review

Week 14 – April 28, 30

General Review